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Antique No. 4 Cast Iron Spider Skillet · Estimated c. 1840–1860
A beautifully thin 19th-century cast iron skillet with a 6 5/8-inch open-loop handle, a prominent gate mark across its underside, and a 4 stamped near the outer edge of the base.
The long handle is a clue to its original purpose: it gave a cook more distance from the heat when tending a pan at an open hearth. Three cast foot positions around the base identify its original three-footed spider form. Its sidewalls are fine and thin—only slightly thicker than a U.S. nickel—and the entire pan weighs just 3.13 width: 9 5/8 inches
Height: 2 3/8 inches
Handle length: 6 5/8 inches
Weight: 3.13 pounds
Condition & Foot Alteration
Well seasoned. Sits flat with no wobble or spin. The three feet now stand approximately 2–3 mm high. Their broad, flat faces and grinding marks extending onto the surrounding underside suggest that the feet were shortened and leveled after the pan was cast. When this was done is unknown; Please examine the close-up photographs.
Dating & Identification
Circa 1840–1860 is an estimate for the pan’s original manufacture, based on its three-footed form, long handle, thin casting, and gate-marked underside. The foot alteration prevents its present height from being used to date it. The foundry has not been identified; the stamped 4 is a size mark, not a confirmed maker’s mark.
An appealing piece of early American cookware whose long handle and surviving foot positions still tell the story of its hearth-cooking origins.
